Shovel.



PATENTED SEPT. 27, 1904.

- H. W. AVERY.

SHOVEL.

APPLIOATION FILED SEPT. 19, 1903.

N0 MODEL.

' citizen of the United States, residing at Cleve- Patented. September 27, 1904.

HENRY W. AVERY, OF CLEVELAND,

OHIO, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO THE AVERY STAMPING COMPANY, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO, A CORPORA- TION OF OHIO.

SHOVEL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 771,199, dated September 27, 1904. Original application filed June 25, 1903, Serial No. 163,003. Divided and this application filed September 19, 1903. Serial To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY W. AVERY, a

land, in the county of Ouyahoga and State of Ohio, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Shovels, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

This invention is a new article of manufactureto wit, a smooth-back shovel without jointor seam and having projecting from its upper edge an integral seamless tubular handle-socket whose recess extends well into the blade. Such a shovel has none of the objectionable characteristics of the so-called hollow-backed shovel. and it has all of the desirable characteristics of the so-called smoothbacked shovel and some desirable characteristics peculiar to itself.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a front view, and Fig. 2 is a central longitudinal sectional view, of a shovel embodying the invention.

Referring to the parts by letters, A repre sents the blade, and B the handle-socket. This handle-socket is an integral part of the blade and is without joint or seam of any kind, and the longitudinal recess therein extends well down into the blade, substantially as shown.

The process by which this shovel may be made forms the subject-matter of my application filed'June 25, 1903, Serial No. 163,003, of which this application is a division. Reference may be had to that application for a more detailed description of the process than that which is as follows: Generally speaking, the process consists in forming a blank having a body portion and a projecting tang in which there is a longitudinal recess extending Well down into the body portion; in placing a mandrel in this recess and then drawing out said tubular tang, reducing the thickness of its wall in so doing; in forming the blade portion of the shovel by rolling or plating I (N0 model.)

the body portion of the blank; in afterward bending said blade into the desired shape, and in putting a flexible mandrel into said socketpiece and shaping the same and the adjacent upper end of' the shovel-blade so that said socket-piece shall be of the desired shape and shall lie at the desired inclination to the blade.

My shovel is especially well adapted for heavy workas, for example, the shoveling of orefor two reasons: first, because the handle extending continuously down into the blade leaves no weak point where great weight upon the shovel could break it and, second, because in lifting heavy loads the workman must place his hand as close as possible to the blade to reduce the leverage which the load obtains, and my socket being continuously tubular and having no open or rough space along its length allows him to do this. Any longitudinal opening in the socket not only weakens the shovel, but tends to abrade the hand of the operator. There is still another advantage in the continuously-tubular socket in that it protects the extreme end of the shovel-handle from moisture, which would tend to rot it, the end fiber of wood being much more susceptible to rotting than the side surface thereof.

Having described my invention, I claim As a new article of manufacture, a seam less and jointless shovel, consisting of a blade and an integral completely-tubular handle socket-piece projecting from the upper edge of the blade, the longitudinal recess in said socket-piece extending, from its outer end, into the blade of the shovel, substantially as shown.

In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

HENRY W. AVERY.

Witnesses:

J. B. HULL, B. W. BROOKETT. 

